Combined cigarette case and lighter



July 29, 1952 P. clBlE COMBINED CIGARETTE CASE AND LIGHTER Filed Aug. 5,1948 INVENTOR. PIERRE CIBI Patented July 29, V:1952

An object of the invention is to eiect improvements in cigarette casesand cigarette lighters combined of the type described in my U. S. A.patent'application 694,588 of Septemberf, 1946, now .the opposite.parallel largeffaces of the .case a l*lens .system allowing adirectmlightinggof:the :cigarette by av .concentrationzof the sunirays1" ?Ehepurpose `of. vthese .improvements is to: -make device` lessbulky, morezmractical zand-.more lsthetic'at. the .same time. AThey.consist-.essentially in housing the cigarettes in a single row in twoopposite drawers sliding within the body of the case and suitablymaintained in the latter by means of suitable stops. A device allowing aconvenient hold for ngers may preferably be provided on each drawer sothat the drawers may be operated easily.

The body of the case is made of a transparent material such as Plexiglasor, more advantageously of a material with a base of synthetic resinsuch as polystyrene or the like making it possible to obtain this bodydirectly by moulding, for instance by injection. The drawers may be madeof the same material, but, preferably suitably colored with a view toimproving the esthetical aspect of the device.

The appended drawing shows, by Way of eX- ample, a type of embodiment ofthe improved cigarette case and lighter which is an object of thepresent invention.

Figure 1 of this'drawing is a perspective view of the device, thedrawers containing the cigarettes being shown closed.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the drawers open.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section along the broken line 3 3 of Figure1.

As can be seen on this drawing, the device comprises a prismatic bodycase a, comprising, on its two large opposite faces, planoconvex lensesb. This body a is made of a transparent material such as Plexiglas,polystyrene or the like ensuring good optical qualities for the lenses.

Within this body a can slide two lateral drawers c, closed at theirbases by a bottom part and open at their upper portion as can be seen onFigure 2. These drawers comprise, at their inner ends, increasedthicknesses c1 (see Figure 3) forming stops which, when the drawer iscompletely pulled out are stopped by stops g formed on the inner face ofthe rims of the apertures of the body a, so as to avoid a completeremoval of the drawer. The cigarettes d are housed in these drawers c,in a single row.

abandoned, comprising in f lce sists---ef "'.fafeots'sr COMBINEDCIGARETTE Aiy Pierre cibi, Paris-France Application August 5,

v In France February', llt/ 11i 2 claims. (Grace 41st)V hef-bod one of`the bottoms fail .offthis1bndy after-'the introductionvof theidrawe'rs.L 2 The drawers c which may compriseftanywrecessesu'factfured'outfofmoulded material which may bethe salme as-that of thebody .brut which for an-estheticajlpurpese,v Ina-y conveniently hezcol-Or'ed'. J` ,ffy m Vx The drawers comprise, in the middle of theirrounded outer edge a projecting part f, forming a finger piece suitablystriated, knurled or worked which will allow an easy hold with thefingers for the working of the drawer. Recesses e, provided in the edgesof the apertures of the body a allow the housing of these projectingparts f when the drawers are pushed home inside the body a.

To use the device, one of the drawers is pulled out by an amount equalto the thickness of a cigarette in such a manner that the latter willcome out by itself by a simple .tipping or placing upside down of thecase. For lighting the cigarette drawn from the case, the two drawers care pulled sideways so as to completely disengage the lens system fromthe body and it will then only be necessary to bring the end of thecigarette to be lit at the focus of the optical system to cause itsignition by the concentration of the sun rays collected by the lenses.

It will be understood that when the drawers are back into the body, thecase, which contains a single row of cigarettes offers a relativelysmall thickness which allows an easy placing in the pocket.

It will be obvious that details of embodiment which have been describedand represented have been given only by way of nonlimitative examples ofembodiment of the invention. Particularly the devices for catching holdof the drawers (f) and their receiving notches' (e) can be replaced byany other device fullling the same purpose and allowing an easy hold andworking of the drawers; these devices for catching hold could also bemade into closing clasps.

The double lens system (b) provided on the opposite large faces of thecase could also be replaced by a suitable optical system provided onlyon one of these opposite main faces. Further, the lenses provided on oneof both the main faces of the case could be distant from these faces andbrought on the latter the body then troduction of `the ydrawers uit-onapart which is placed inppf si-tion -a d-"joined tothe-'body byfcementng 'only or other arrangements yusefulv for lining `the cigarettesd -a single row :will alsofbe inanadjacent, each drawer being made of amaterial, transparent or not, other than that oi the lenses.

Finally the drawers themselves can be made of the same material as thebody, colored or not, or of any other material, transparent,transluscent or not.

What I claim is:

1. A cigarette case, including a generally prismatic box which has twomajor parallel sides and is open at two opposite ends; a pair ofcorresponding optical lenses individually formed in the intermediateportions of the major parallel sides of the box and disposed ineffective positions to allow rays of light to pass through both lensesand focus exteriorly of said box; a pair of opposed drawers slidablydisposed in the two opposite ends of said box with the inner endsthereof visible through the intermediate portions of said major sideswhen the drawers are fully inserted into said box with the inner endsthereof mutually having an open upper end and adapted to receive a rowof opstanding cigarettes side by side therein; and means for guiding andlimiting said drawers to predetermined ranges of sliding movement intoand outwardly from said box.

2. A cigarette case including a generally prismatic box oi transparentmaterial having two major parallel sides and two opposite ends thereofopen; a pair of corresponding optical lenses Y individually formed inthe intermediate portions of the major parallel sides of the box anddisposed in eiective positions to allow rays of light to pass throughboth lenses and focus exteriorly of said box; a pair of opposed drawersslidably disposed in the two opposite ends of said box with the innerends thereof visible through the intermediate portions of said majorsides when the drawers are fully inserted into said box with the innerends thereof mutually adjacent, each drawer having an open upper endand'adapted to receive a row of upstanding cigarettes side by sidetherein; and means for guiding and limiting said drawers topredetermined ranges of sliding movement into and outwardly from saidbox.

PIERRE omni.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Aug. 2, 1933

